Chocolate Shortcakes

I made these shortcakes the other day. They must have been really good. I only got a bite of the one I used to take a picture. I went to change Jax and came back to eat that one and there was only a bite left. The bite I did get though was pretty good. This is a nice change to the regular shortcake recipes.

Chocolate Shortcake

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Stir 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. With a pastry blender, cut in 1/2 cup cold butter until you have coarse bread crumbs.  Add 2 oucnes bitterseet chocolate and coat. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk, and 1 egg. Using a fork, stir just until moistened.  Gently knead until smooth. Cut into any shape. Brush tops with buttermilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes.

Creamy Topping (instead of just plain whipped cream)
Beat 1 cup whipping cream, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until soft peaks form.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

Christine

DIY Curtains

I have a love/hate relationship with curtains, window treatments, blinds....whatever you want to call them. I love the way the look. The character they bring to the room. The color and print you can add to a room....but I hate that they cover up the window. I like to be able to look out and see everything. I don't like being "closed in". I also love the trim around our windows so I hate to cover it up.

plantation shutters

Now, all that being said if I could have these on all my windows ( which I will some day!! ) I wouldn't mind. I love the way plantation shutters look and how it still looks "airy" and open. Unfortunately these are not at the top of my husbands priority list right now, mostly because they are not cheap:) and I have a LOT of windows in my home. Someday....Someday....


Meanwhile my husband wanted to have something on our bedroom windows. We live in the country with no neighbors behind us so I wasn't in a hurry to cover them up. I searched every store and internet sight I could find with no luck. So, I made my own of course:)

Finding material was even harder than finding curtains. I ended up using shower curtains:) They were too short for my windows and I liked the look of the "blocks" so I found the white at Hobby Lobby to add to the top. I cut the shower curtain in half and then attached the white block with "no sew" tape ( also from Hobby Lobby ). I used bamboo sticks for the curtain rods ( a pack of 3 for $10 at Target...which was perfect for my 3 window bedroom ) and my husband made the hooks at his work. I didn't have to trim the ends and the top I just folded over and used the clip rings. They turned out really well. Next best thing to Plantation Shutters I suppose:)

Mary Elizabeth

Happy Memorial Day!

How are you spending today? We don't have any plans, but some yard work and remembering those that gave the ultimate sacrifice. 

Every Sunday at church all the military flags (also the POW flag) are walked to the platform and our Pastor reads off the names of the those that died the past week and then prays for those families. Did you know that several died last week and that we still have 1 missing in action? I love this because not only does it still make it real for the adults as a constant reminder that the war is still going on and the sacrifice being made, but also for our children. The boys now salute the flag when they see it and it means something to them.

Remember those  and their families that made the ultimate sacrifice for us!

Christine

Coffee Creamer Update

I had to revise the recipe for coffee creamer that I used in this post. That recipe called for maple syrup as the sweetener. Even though I really liked that creamer, it just wasn't quite sweet enough. (Please don't tell my sister Mary about this post. I am supposed to be on a no sugar diet with her. Obviously, I am slipping a tiny bit.) I did a little more searching for recipes and after looking at a couple I came up with the following:

Coffee Creamer
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I used the small can, because that's what I had on hand)
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream (also what I had on hand, I think half and half would also work. Milk would work also, it's just going to be a lot thinner)
1/2 Madagascar vanilla bean (next time I will use a whole vanilla bean)
Simmer this for a couple of minutes, then let it cool.

This was so much better. The sweetened condensed milk made it taste more like Coffee Mate Creamer.Try this recipe for coffee creamer. I think you will like so much better.

Have a great weekend,

Christine